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"Biotic communities Florida."
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Atlas of Florida's natural heritage : biodiversity, landscapes, stewardship, and opportunities
The Atlas of Florida's natural heritage : biodiversity, landscapes, stewardship, and opportunities illustrates the natural heritage of Florida, its stewardship, and challenges for policy makers, planners, environmental advocates, residents, and visitors. Includes maps, diagrams, charts, photographs, and text.
Book
Habitat characteristics favoring native freshwater turtles in the highly invaded urban turtle community of Miami-Dade County
Both aquatic and terrestrial habitat characteristics impact semi-aquatic turtle abundances, community composition, and sex ratios. South Florida is the global hotspot for non-native herpetofauna, but there is limited data on the turtle assemblage in this region. With the expectation that the turtle assemblage would reflect the high diversity of non-native herpetofauna species, we sought to identify both aquatic and terrestrial habitat characteristics that would support a higher percentage of native turtles in the community. We examined the relationships between a suite of habitat variables (pond characteristics, spatial structure of aquatic habitat, surrounding uplands) and turtle abundances, species richness, and sex ratios at 17 ponds in Miami-Dade County during 2019–2021. As expected, this turtle assemblage was dominated by non-natives, with 80% of individuals derived from six non-native species. This is the highest non-native turtle diversity documented in the Americas and is only rivaled by the high diversity of non-natives in a few Eurasian studies. We found that the abundance of native turtles was positively related to chlorophyll concentration, submergent vegetation density, pond area, and (surprisingly) high density urban habitat in the surrounding uplands. Road density in the surrounding uplands was also identified as an important habitat parameter, as it negatively affected both native turtle richness and the proportion of female turtles in each pond. Tracking the trajectory of the semi-aquatic turtle assemblage in this region heavily impacted by both urbanization and biotic invasions may foreshadow future changes in urban centers around the globe.
Journal Article
Salt Marsh Plant Community Structure Influences Success of Avicennia germinans During Poleward Encroachment
Along the Florida coast, decreasing freeze events are promoting the range shift of the mangrove species
Avicennia germinans
northward into temperate salt marsh wetlands. Although plant species’ ranges are tightly linked with their climatic tolerances, there is considerable variability in the magnitude by which biotic factors like competition and facilitation may also influence range shifts. Changes in mangrove and marsh plant abundance can alter both the above and belowground environment, which may in turn influence ecosystem services typically associated with these systems such as storm surge abatement and carbon storage. Therefore, it is key to understand (1) how the above and belowground environment of established salt marshes influences establishment of mangroves, and (2) how above and belowground environments shift in response to mangrove encroachment. Using a semi-natural mangrove planting experiment, we investigated the impact of four distinct marsh plant community structures (
Batis maritima, Spartina alterniflora
, mixture of
B. maritima
and
S. alterniflora
, mudflat) on mangrove survivorship and decomposition rate. In mixed marsh plots, mangrove survivorship was 42 % higher compared to survivorship in mudflat plots, and decomposition rate was 47 % greater in mixed marsh plots compared to mudflat. However, percent cover of vegetation differed across treatments, and was highest in mixed marsh plots. High survivorship in mixed marsh plots is likely due to increased protection from physical stressors by the dense aboveground cover, and belowground plant root-driven effects such as nutrient availability and oxygen delivery. Our findings suggest that above and below ground differences in salt marsh plant community structure can have an impact on the survival of encroaching mangroves, which may have implications for predicting future mangrove encroachment and improving mangrove restoration techniques.
Journal Article
Temporal Variations of Microbiota Associated with the Immature Stages of Two Florida Culex Mosquito Vectors
Microbiota associated with mosquito vector populations impact several traits of mosquitoes, including survival, reproduction, control, and immunity against pathogens. The influence of seasonal variations and mosquito species on mosquito gut microbiota is poorly understood. We sought to determine whether the mosquito microbiota associated with immature stages of two congeners (Culex coronator and Culex nigripalpus) differ temporally and between the two species. Using high throughput 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, we characterized bacterial and archaeal communities found in the immature stages of the two Culex mosquito species sampled over three seasons to compare the diversity of bacteria between the two species. Beta diversity analyses of the larval microbiota sequences revealed that the two Culex species differed significantly, both temporally within each species and between the two species. Bacteria in Cx. coronator larvae were dominated by Alphaproteobacteria, mainly associated with Roseoccocus and unidentified species of Rhizobiales, and two unidentified species of Cyanobacteria. In contrast, Cx. nigripalpus was dominated by Thorsellia anophelis (Gammaproteobacteria), Clostridium, an unidentified species of Ruminococcacae (Clostridiales), and additional unidentified species associated with Erysipelotrichaceae (Erysipelotrichales), Bacteroidales, and Mollicutes. Results of our study revealed both seasonal and interspecies differences in bacterial community composition associated with the immature stages of Cx. coronator and Cx. nigripalpus vector populations in Florida. These results have important implications for our understanding of the underlying factors of variations in disease transmission among seasons, susceptibility to various pesticides, and other biotic factors, including the role of the microbiota on the spread of invasive species. In addition, our results suggest close associations of certain bacteria species with each of the two Culex species that will be further targeted for their potential in the development of microbial-based control strategies.
Journal Article
Novel Weapons Testing: Are Invasive Plants More Chemically Defended than Native Plants
Background: Exotic species have been hypothesized to successfully invade new habitats by virtue of possessing novel biochemistry that repels native enemies. Despite the pivotal long-term consequences of invasion for native food-webs, to date there are no experimental studies examining directly whether exotic plants are any more or less biochemically deterrent than native plants to native herbivores. Methodology/Principal Findings: In a direct test of this hypothesis using herbivore feeding assays with chemical extracts from 19 invasive plants and 21 co-occurring native plants, we show that invasive plant biochemistry is no more deterrent (on average) to a native generalist herbivore than extracts from native plants. There was no relationship between extract deterrence and length of time since introduction, suggesting that time has not mitigated putative biochemical novelty. Moreover, the least deterrent plant extracts were from the most abundant species in the field, a pattern that held for both native and exotic plants. Analysis of chemical deterrence in context with morphological defenses and growth-related traits showed that native and exotic plants had similar trade-offs among traits. Conclusions/Significance: Overall, our results suggest that particular invasive species may possess deterrent secondary chemistry, but it does not appear to be a general pattern resulting from evolutionary mismatches between exotic plants and native herbivores. Thus, fundamentally similar processes may promote the ecological success of both native and exotic species.
Journal Article
Ecosystem planning in Florida
While ecosystem management requires looking beyond specific jurisdiction and focusing on broad spatial scales, most planning decisions particularly in the USA, are made at local level. By looking at land-use planning in Florida, this volume recognizes the need for planners and resource managers to address ecosystem problems at local and community levels. The factors causing ecosystem decline, such as rapid urban development and habitat fragmentation occur at the local level and are generated by local land use policies. This book argues that understanding how local jurisdictions can capture and implement the principles of managing natural systems will lead to more sustainable levels of environmental planning in the future.
eBook
Interpopulation differences in competitive effect and response of the mosquito Aedes aegypti and resistance to invasion by a superior competitor
Geographic variation in species interactions can have major effects on species distributions and can be important for the resistance of resident communities to invasive species. We tested the hypothesis that coexistence or replacement of a resident North American mosquito Aedes aegypti with the invasive Aedes albopictus is affected by interpopulation variation in the inherent competitive ability of A. aegypti and variation in the fecundity-size relationship. We postulated that such variation creates differential population-level outcomes of competition with A. albopictus. We compared competitive abilities of eight North American populations of A. aegypti, four populations sympatric to A. albopictus, and four populations allopatric to A. albopictus. Competition among larvae from each A. aegypti population and a single A. albopictus population was tested in laboratory microcosms in a response-surface design. We found origin of A. aegypti influences its competitive response to competition from A. albopictus and competitive effect on A. albopictus. A. aegypti from allopatric sites preformed better in competition with A. albopictus than did A. aegypti from sympatric sites because they had a stronger average effect on A. albopictus. This average was strongly influenced by the allopatric population from Miami. Competitive effect and response were uncorrelated among populations, indicating inconsistent ranking of A. aegypti in competitive effect and response. Although A. albopictus is generally a superior competitor to A. aegypti, a stronger competitive effect of particular A. aegypti populations on invading A. albopictus may contribute to competition-mediated biotic resistance to the invader. These results suggest that interpopulation variation in competitive ability of A. aegypti may contribute to failure of A. albopictus to invade parts of the southeastern United States and offer evidence of a contribution to biotic resistance by an inferior competitor. Geographic variation in competitive ability may be common and one general cause of variation in invasion success and impact.
Journal Article
Effects of damage and pollination on sexual and asexual reproduction in a flowering clonal plant
The extent to which local biotic factors like herbivory and pollination affect mode of reproduction in plants is not yet fully understood. Mode of reproduction is ecologically important because it can influence the spread and distribution of plant populations through factors like offspring dispersal distance and establishment success. The two experiments described here address the potential effects of damage and pollen receipt on plant growth, sexual reproduction, and asexual reproduction in a clonal flowering plant (Eichhornia crassipes, water hyacinth). These experiments were conducted in greenhouse and outdoor tanks at the Florida State University research facilities in Tallahassee, FL, on plants collected from north Florida populations. Plants received manual damage to leaves (imposing a loss of resources), apical meristems (imposing a loss of leaf and flower production), or axillary meristems (imposing a loss of clone production). Apical meristem damage increased asexual reproduction (clone number). When severe, axillary meristem damage increased plant growth (leaf production). Neither leaf damage nor pollination affected plant growth, clone production, or flower production. Asexual reproductive responses to damage have not been well studied, although sexual reproduction and individual plant growth have been shown to increase following damage. These results have implications for the dispersal and establishment of clonal plants in the presence of herbivory. For a highly invasive species like E. crassipes, these results can further inform the use of insect herbivores to manage invasive populations.
Journal Article
contribution of abiotic and biotic factors to spatial and temporal variation in population density of the least killifish, Heterandria formosa
We report the results of a long-term examination of variation in adult density in the least killifish, Heterandria formosa, and the associations among adult density and a variety of ecological factors. We used data from 11 populations of H. formosa in Northwest Florida, collected between 2000 and 2010, to examine the relationships among temporal and spatial variation in adult density and (1) the composition of the aquatic fauna community among habitats (springs, ponds, and tidal marshes) where H. formosa are found, (2) an index of predation pressure and (3) the sampling season, distance from shore (cm), water depth (cm), and aquatic vegetation cover (%) in throw traps at each sampling event. We found clear evidence that adult densities of H. formosa vary widely but consistently among populations, with greater spatial variation than temporal variation in density estimates. Site identity explained most of the variation in density among populations, and there was no long-term consistent association of variation in density with different habitats; sites of the same habitat type were as likely to have characteristically different densities as were sites of different habitat types. Average adult densities of H. formosa increased as aquatic vegetation cover increased and as the index of predation pressure decreased, however assemblage structure was not a strong predictor of density. These results show that despite marked community, abiotic and biotic distinctions between habitat types, location-specific variation was the predominant signal in these data.
Journal Article
Science and the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration
The report reviews a U.S. Department of the Interior research program, finding that it provides key information to support the restoration of the Florida Everglades and to better assess the impact of hydrologic change on the ecosystem. However, the program needs more funding, better management and broader distribution of its findings. The report suggests that strategic investments in Everglades research will increase the chances of reaching restoration goals while reducing overall costs.
eBook